Hall County 4-H Newsletter

We’re excited to announce a special opportunity to go behind the scenes at our local JBS plant! JBS is partnering with 4-H nationally to offer tours at facilities across the country—and our Hall County 4-H members have the chance to participate!

During this approximately 2-hour tour, 4-Hers will explore the plant, meet and engage with JBS employees, and discover the many career paths available in the animal agriculture industry. Attendees will also have the opportunity to meet representatives from National 4-H Council, as they plan to attend as well!

Tour Details:

Friday, September 25, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m.
Several schools are out of session on this date, making it a great opportunity for students to participate! The tour is limited to 20 participants, ages 13 and up (high school students). A signed waiver is required. The meeting location at the facility will be provided to registered participants. Plan to arrive 10-15 minutes ahead of time.

Register by calling the Extension Office at 385-5088. Questions? Contact D’Ette. Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see animal agriculture in action and learn where a career in the industry could take you!

Tickets are good for the entire day of October 4th only (12-7 pm) and includes a meal (hotdog, chips, smores & a drink) and a pumpkin. The awards program will begin at 2:00 pm in the seating area near the front entrance. Admission without a ticket is $12 per person, NOT including a meal or a pumpkin.

ALL 4-H MEMBERS are encouraged to apply for awards! Applications are due to the Extension Office by Tuesday, September 15. Award applications can be found at extension.unl.edu/statewide/hall/hall-county-4-h/4-h-club-member-resources/. Find out about the Diamond Clover program, Nebraska 4-H Achievement Application, as well as Club recognition! 4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/awards-recognition/

Awards will be given to 4-H’ers for Diamond Clover achievements, Clover Kids recognition program, Club of Excellence, Nebraska 4-H Gives Back program and Nebraska 4-H Achievement Application accomplishments. At the achievement event, awards will also be given for: five, ten, eleven, twelve, thirteen & fourteen year memberships. Keep reading the newsletter for more information on awards!

Special Award: For each completed Nebraska 4-H Achievement Application or Diamond Clover application, the 4-H member will have their name entered in a random drawing. A $50 cash award will be given!

The Diamond Clover Program (4-H age 8 and older) includes six levels. Printable forms are available at 4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/awards-recognition/diamond-clover/. The program is designed for 4-H members to progress at one level a year. Each level includes a set of goals that must be achieved for recognition. 4-H members decide what to do - pick from the wide range of activities provided or choose their own activities. The 4-H Diamond Clover program doesn’t replace current recognition programs such as the Nebraska 4-H Achievement Application or county awards, but rather complements each of these programs.

The Head, Heart, Hands and Health Program recognizes the work completed by Clover Kids. Each member, 4-H age 5-7, should have set two goals earlier this year in the areas of the four H’s: Head, Heart, Hands and Health. All Clover Kids who turn in completed forms will receive a prize. Forms are available at extension.unl.edu/statewide/hall/hall-county-4-h/4-h-club-member-resources/ or the Extension office.

Club Leaders – Submit an application for your club to be recognized as a “Club of Excellence!” To receive this designation, clubs must meet a set of criteria; check it out at 4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/awards-recognition/clubs-excellence/. Applications are due September 15 to the Extension Office.

The Nebraska 4-H Gives Back Program is an opportunity for a Nebraska 4-H member or a team of 4-H’ers to make a meaningful contribution to their community. This award recognizes the impact that 4-H youth make in their communities and celebrates the spirit of service-learning, a pillar of the 4-H experience. To achieve the Nebraska 4-H Gives Back honor, a 4-H member or team must complete a major service-learning project that benefits his/her community. Information is available at: 4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/awards-recognition/ne4h-gives-back/.

The Nebraska 4-H Achievement Application is a standard application form used for the selection of county and state award winners, including Nebraska delegates to National 4-H Congress and National 4-H Conference, as well as Nebraska 4-H Foundation scholarship award recipients. By having one single form that more closely resembles the kinds of questions being asked on college applications and in resumes, 4-H’ers will be better prepared to be college and job ready while keeping a record of their achievements. There is a Junior (ages 8-14) and Senior (ages 15-18) application: 4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/awards-recognition/achievement-application/.

Important Message for 4-H County Fair Participants! Please remember to cash your Fair premium checks and send a thank-you to your award sponsor! You may have received several thank you cards this year. You received a thank you card to send to the sponsor of your banner, as well as a thank you card if you received a cash award from Fonner Park or a shooting sports cash award from Hornady. The cash awards were included in your premium check this year. Thanks for helping us thank all of our award sponsors!

Note: Livestock Auction checks will be mailed out soon - please cash those as soon as you receive them. Check out our website for Hall County Fair Results: extension.unl.edu/statewide/hall/hall-county-4-h/hall-county-fair/

The following 4-H exhibitors received Special Recognition at the Nebraska State Fair!

• Jaxsen Battershaw for Reserve Champion Intermediate Culinary Challenge.
• Annie Buchfinck for placing in the Top 5 of the State 4-H Fashion Show.
• Ethan Benes for Third Place Junior Beef Showmanship and Third Place Composite Charolais Breeding Heifer.
• Hadyn Bockerman for Best Opposite French Lop Rabbit.
• Hudsyn Bockerman for Fourth Place Intermediate Rabbit Showmanship and Best of Breed French Lop Rabbit.
• Rylee Codner for Reserve Champion All Other Breeds (AOB) Market Steer.
• Katelynn Bird for her Bleached Hoodie - Clothing exhibit.
• Libby Buettner for her Bleached Skirt - Clothing exhibit.
• Rylee Codner for her Acrylic Painting - Visual Art exhibit.
• Crystal Dibbern for her 3 Jelled Jars - Food Preservation exhibit.
• Colton Krueger for his Cookie Cutters and Tin Punched Lantern - Home Design & Restoration exhibits.
• Hope Krueger for her Play Kitchen - Human Development exhibit.
• Julianne Lautenschlager for her Embroidered Hoodie - Clothing exhibit.
• Annabelle Panowicz for her Moth Caterpillar Photo - Entomology exhibit.
• Katelyn Turek for her Abstract Horseshoes - Photography exhibit, which was selected for display in the UNL Animal Science Department Exhibition.

Congratulations to all Hall County 4-H’ers who had exhibits selected for State Fair!

What a weekend at the Nebraska State Fair! Hall County 4-H’ers represented our county with pride at the 4-H Fashion Shows.

A special congratulations goes to Annie Buchfinck, who received a Top 5 Award at the State 4-H Fashion Show for her modeling and beautifully designed denim dress. Annie’s creativity and hard work earned her a spot among the top entries in the state. We are so proud of you, Annie!

Congratulations to Hall County 4-H member Colton Krueger, whose tin-punched lantern was selected for the 2026 Nebraska State Fair 4-H Design Gallery! Colton created his lantern while working at Stuhr Museum. His love of hands-on projects—including wood, welding and tinsmithing—really shines through in his work!

Only 22 4-H members from across Nebraska were selected for this year’s Design Gallery, making this a wonderful accomplishment. Way to go, Colton! We’re proud to see your creativity, craftsmanship and 4-H experience represented at the State Fair!

Hall County 4-H member Katelyn Turek is taking her photography exhibit from the Nebraska State Fair to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln!

Katelyn’s photograph was selected from hundreds of photos from across Nebraska to be included in a special collection on display at the UNL East Campus Visitors Center and within the Animal Science Department. Her photo will be on display on campus until August 2027. Congratulations, Katelyn, on this well-deserved honor!

Monday, September 21 at 7:00 pm at the Extension Office

All 4-H families involved in any livestock project are encouraged to attend! Come with thoughts on what worked well, what didn’t, and ideas for improvement from County Fair and State Fair. We will be setting dates for livestock weigh-ins, tagging’s and meetings, so bring your calendars!

Go to 4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/shooting-sports-program/ for more information about the Nebraska 4-H Shooting Sports program & to view the calendar of upcoming statewide shooting sports competitions!

In order to run a club, county, or multi-county 4-H shootings sports program, leaders and instructors must be certified by Nebraska 4-H. Volunteers must attend a Leader Certification Workshop designed to cover the needed knowledge and guidelines to become a Certified 4-H Shooting Sports Leader/Instructor.

Go to 4h.unl.edu/statewide-events-opportunities/shooting-sports-program/certified-leaders/ for information regarding upcoming leader certification workshops & updates. If you are interested in becoming a certified shooting sports instructor for Hall County 4-H, please contact LaDonna Obermiller at 308-385-5088.

Exciting news—the 2026-27 4-H year kicks off in early October! Families will be notified as soon as enrollment opens.

The annual enrollment fee is $15.00 per youth (ages 5-18). If paying with a credit card in 4-H Online, the enrollment fee is $15.60. And remember, cost should never stand in the way—scholarships are available, so please connect with a 4-H staff member if needed.

Show off your favorite 4-H project -- or even one that didn't go as planned! Every project tells a story of learning, helping youth build the skills to become healthy, productive, and engaged leaders who are Beyond Ready for work and life.

Submit your project for the 4-H Project Showcase by September 15 to be featured during National 4-H Week in October and throughout the year at 4h.unl.edu/project-showcase.

More details at: https://4h.unl.edu/project-showcase

High school seniors interested in UNL are encourage to apply for free through November 1st! Use go.unl.edu/apply with the code HUSKER to access the application.

High school juniors and seniors interested in Nebraska are encouraged to visit campus on a Red Letter Day! This experience includes a campus tour with a student guide, academic appointments, lunch, financial aid and housing sessions, and clubs and organizations browsing fair. Register at go.unl.edu/visit.

Get ready to celebrate creativity with wool! The 2026 State Make It With Wool Contest will be held on November 21 at Lexington Middle School in Lexington, NE. From sewing and knitting to crocheting, spinning, and weaving, this contest highlights the beauty and endless possibilities of wool while showcasing the amazing talents of participants. The day kicks off at 9:00 am, and you won’t want to miss the public Fashion Show at 1:00 pm—where creativity, style, and wool take center stage!

For more information, contact the Nebraska State Director: Andrea Nisley (phone 308-325-6498) anisley1@unl.edu. The entry form, state brochure and national wool contest guidelines are posted on the Nebraska Sheep and Goat Producers website: nebraskasheepandgoat.org/ under the Nebraska Make It With Wool tab. Entry forms, fees, wool samples and wool testing fees are due October 15, 2026 to Andrea Nisley.

Calling all potential 2027 County and State Fair 4-H judges! Sign up now to be a part of the Nebraska 4-H judging team. Help Nebraska youth be beyond ready for work and life through 4-H project exhibits by serving as a 4-H project judge!

Deadline to sign up: September 30, 2026
Register here: https://go.unl.edu/2027judgesregistration

Join us and help shape the future of 4-H!

• September 8 - Pick up State Fair static exhibits, 11 am-1 pm, east end of the 4-H/FFA building.

• September 15 - Deadline for 4-H Achievement Award applications.

• September 21 - Post-Fair Livestock Meeting, 7:00 pm at the Extension Office.

• September 22 - 4-H Council Meeting, 6:30 pm at the Extension Office.

• September 28 - Deadline to reserve tickets for 4-H Achievement Event (12 pm).

• October 4 - 4-H Achievement Event at the Scarecrow Patch, Saint Libory. Awards given at 2 pm.

• October 4-10 - National 4-H Week

Email: hall-county@unl.edu
Website: hall.unl.edu
Location: 3180 W Hwy 34, College Park, Grand Island, Nebraska, USA
Phone: 308-385-5088
Facebook: facebook.com/HallCounty4HNebraska